Chipa Asador is a beloved and traditional Paraguayan cheese bread made with yuca starch, eggs, milk, cheese, and anise seeds. This delicious bread has a unique texture and flavor, with a slightly crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior.
Chipa is often enjoyed as a snack or breakfast food in Paraguay and is a staple of the country's cuisine. While traditionally made with lard, softened butter or oil can be used as a substitute.
In this recipe, we'll use butter to make these delicious and savory cheese bread rolls. So get ready to enjoy a delightful taste of Paraguay with this easy-to-follow Chipa Asador recipe!
How to Make Chipa Asador
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven to 500° F. In a 6-quart mixing bowl, combine yuca starch and salt. Rub the anise seeds with your hands until fragrant, add to the yuca starch mixture, stir to combine, and set aside.
Place the yuca starch mixture on a clean, dry work surface. Make a hole in the center, about 8 inches wide (bigger is better here). Add the softened butter and the eggs into the hole; using your finger, mix the egg well together with the butter until somewhat incorporated.
Then, incorporate the yuca starch mixture into the wet mixture a little at a time until a crumbly dough forms.
When enough yuca starch has been incorporated into the wet mixture, add the cheese and mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
Next, drizzle the buttermilk or milk a bit at a time, and mix with your hands until a compact and moist but not wet dough has formed. When the mixture has come together into a homogeneous mixture, then you can start kneading.
Use the heel of your hand to smear the dough away from you until it finishes, then gather it back with a bench scraper and continue kneading until it becomes smooth and compact and easily detaches from the working surface and your hands.
This process should take about 4 to 5 minutes. When done, the dough should have the consistency of smooth play dough. Once you've achieved the perfect consistency, cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes before shaping. This resting time will allow the dough to relax and improve the texture of your final product.
How to Choose Your Sticks
Choose sticks that are long enough that you can hold them at a comfortable distance from the fire. Around 24 -30 inches long and 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter.
Use freshly cut greenwood if possible because it’s moist and won’t burn quickly. Strip the bark using a sharp knife, pointed away from you. As the wood comes into contact with food, choosing a stick from a non-poisonous tree is a good idea.
Try fruit woods, such as Apple, Orange, Pear, Plum, or a wooden broom handle (sanitized). Make sure to place the stick in the flame for a bit to sterilize it or wrap it up tightly with heavy-duty aluminum and spray the surface of the foil with cooking spray or use oil or butter to prevent the Chipa Asador from sticking (if you use aluminum foil and don't spray it with cooking spray, there's a very good chance the Chipa Asador is going to stick to the tin foil).
How to Cook
Once you’ve got your sticks, dough, and fire ready… Grab a generous piece of Chipa dough from the bowl and gently pat it to cover about 9 to 10 inches from its extension; sprinkle shredded Parmesan all over the Chipa and press gently to adhere to the sides. Cooked, turning over the embers (with wood or coal, with ashes), ensuring it did not burn.
(Remember, you want a nice, even heat so that your chipa is soft, browned, and crusty on the outside). Keep rotating the chipa until all sides are crispy, golden, and slightly charred in places, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Then, serve the Chipa Asador straight off the stick, or slide the chipa off when it has cooled a little. Enjoy!
Related Recipes:
Recipe
Easy Chipa Asador (Chipa kavuré)
Ingredients
- 1 kg Yuca Starch
- 300 g butter or lard , room temperature
- 6 large eggs , room temperature
- 20 g anise seeds
- 600 g Fresh White cheese for frying ''Queso de Freir'' , or queso panela, crumbled
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 100 ml Whole Milk or buttermilk
- 100 g Shredded Parmesan , to Sprinkle on
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500° F. In a 6-quart mixing bowl, combine yuca starch, and salt. Rub the anise seeds with the palm of your hands until fragrant and add to the yuca starch mixture and stir to combine and set aside. Place the yuca starch mixture on a clean, dry work surface.
- Make a hole in the center, about 8 inches wide (bigger is better here). Add the softened butter and the eggs into the hole; using your finger, mix the egg well together with the butter until somewhat incorporated. Then, begin to incorporate the yuca starch mixture into the wet mixture a little at a time until a crumbly dough forms. When enough yuca starch mixture has been incorporated into the wet mixture, add the cheese and begin to mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
- Next, drizzle the buttermilk or milk a bit at a time, and begin to mix with your hands until a compact and moist but not wet dough has formed. When the mixture has come together into a homogeneous mixture, then you can start kneading.
- Use the heel of your hand to smear the dough away from you until it finishes, then gather it back together with a bench scraper and continue kneading until it becomes smooth and compact and easily detaches from the working surface and your hands. This process should take about 4 to 5 minutes. When done, the dough should have the consistency of smooth playdough. Once you've achieved the perfect consistency, cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes before shaping. This resting time will allow the dough to relax and improve the texture of your final product.
How to choose your Chipa Asador Sticks
- Choose sticks that are long enough that you can hold them at a comfortable distance from the fire. Around 24 -30 inches long and 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. If possible, use freshly cut greenwood because it’s moister and won’t burn so quickly. Strip the bark using a sharp knife, pointed away from you. As the wood comes into contact with food, it’s a good idea to choose a stick from a non-poisonous tree species. Try fruit woods, such as Apple, Orange, Pear, Plum, or a wooden broom handle (sanitized, of course ).
- Make sure to place the stick in the flame for a bit to sterilize it or wrap it up tightly with heavy-duty aluminum and spray the surface of the foil with cooking spray or use oil or butter to prevent the Chipa Asador from sticking (if you use aluminum foil and don't spray it with cooking spray, there's a very good chance the Chipa Asador is going to stick to the tinfoil).
How to Cook Chipa Asador
- Once you’ve got your sticks, dough, and fire ready… Grab a generous piece of Chipa dough from the bowl and gently pat it to cover about 9 to 10 inches from its extension; sprinkle shredded Parmesan all over the Chipa and press gently to adhere to the sides.
- Cooked turning over the embers (embers with wood or coal, with ashes), ensuring it does not burn. (Remember, you want a nice even heat so that your chipa is soft on the inside and browned and crusty on the outside). Keep rotating the chipa until all sides are crispy, golden, and slightly charred in places, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, serve the Chipa Asador straight off the stick, or you can also slide the chipa off the stick when it has cooled a little. Enjoy!
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.